Latin American Solidarity Brigade pays homage to Fidel Castro

The visit of the 29th Latin American and Caribbean Brigade of Solidarity with Cuba, made up of nearly 60 activists from Argentina, El Salvador, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Colombia, ended on Monday with a meeting dedicated to Commander in Chief Fidel Castro a few hours before the 98th anniversary of his birth.

At the Julio Antonio Mella International Camp (Cijam), in Caimito, the brigade members expressed their gratitude for the teachings and experiences lived during two weeks of tours and exchanges with the population, and ratified their condemnation of the economic blockade imposed by the United States for more than 60 years, now intensified.

The activists recognized in the final declaration of the visit the legacy of Fidel as an inspiration for the struggles for the ideals of freedom, peace, sovereignty, unity and integration of the nations of the region.

They rejected the inclusion of Cuba in the spurious list of state sponsors of terrorism, adding: "we recognize in this instrument one more measure of coercion, disinformation and propaganda that seeks to diversify the fronts of harassment and suffocation of the island".

The document condemns imperialist, neocolonial and interference policies; it supports the just causes of the peoples and is in favor of preserving Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace.

In assessing the visit, the declaration points out that the brigadistas noted the dignity, warmth, hospitality, joy and solidarity of each Cuban, as well as their resistance in defense of the anti-imperialist social project.

Víctor Gaute, vice-president of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), thanked the friends for their accompaniment in the difficult conditions imposed by the blockade on the country, and called on them to promote initiatives for local cooperation projects in the areas of energy and food production.

He referred to the celebration of brigadistas and ICAP workers who will wait in the evening at the Cijam for the advent of August 13, the 98th anniversary of the birth of Fidel "whose thoughts and ideas guide us to overcome obstacles and move forward," he said.